It's a good roadmap of NHS England's plans to implement the Cass Review.
The vision of the Review – reflected in the NHS England implementation plan – is to increase available services for gender-questioning young people.
Those services will take a holistic approach to care which addresses the needs of each individual and will put in place a full package of care which can be delivered as close to home as possible.
We don’t know enough about who might benefit from medical interventions as part of their package of care, but if the clinical team think that this may be the right pathway for an individual, they will have access to those treatments as part of a carefully constructed research programme; this approach will give a better evidence base for future generations of young people.
In order to make things better in the future, NHSE needs the support and engagement of all the young people and families using these services, so I do hope that despite the frustrations and challenges that everyone has faced, there will be a real collaboration in developing the model of care together.
This implementation plan from NHS England is an important milestone in improving care, but the NHS now needs to focus on delivering additional capacity and an improved service offer to this group of patients.
I see that recruitment for the PSH trial starts in Feb. 2025.
- Professor Emily Simonoff has been confirmed as Chief Investigator for the study.
- The research will be co- sponsored by King’s College London and the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. The study protocol should be complete by December 2024 and, subject to academic approval, recruitment to the trial would commence in early 2025.